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Percy Stanley Marks (1911-1988)
}} *Mervyn Richard Marks (1908-1980) *Cecil Lloyd Marks (1914-1914) *Ivy May Marks (1916-2001) *Daisy Lillian Marks *Allen Roy Marks *One daughter who died at birth in 1937. She is buried in the Methodist section of the Orange cemetery because the Anglican church would not allow her to be buried in the Anglican section. This was because she was not christened. *Sylvia Marks *Enid Marks *Patricia Ann Marks (1947) Biography Early Life Arthur and Louisa Marks lived at Morongla Creek, New South Wales, south of Cowra. On the day that Percy was born they had an important meeting, probably at their house, for the farmers and settlers association. In the evening they made a 10 km mad dash for the Cowra Hospital by horse and sulky and arrived there in the dark. Percy was born in the Cowra Hospital. Percy was Christened on at Cowra. He was living at the time at Morongla Creek, New South Wales, Australia. Between 1914 and 1916 the Marks family purchased and moved to "Bonny Brae" in Summer Street, Orange, Wellington County, New South Wales, Australia. In 1922 the Marks family purchased and moved to the Orchard "Remuera" at Anson Road, Orange, Wellington County, New South Wales, Australia. He left school before his intermediate exam because he got an apprenticeship with a carpenter. When the depression hit, the employer went out of business. Percy was working as a wood carter in and around 1933 in Orange, Wellington County, New South Wales, Australia. The family had kept run a Wood Yard business from the rear of their house "Bonny Bree" and they probably continued to do so from "Remuera". Later Percy worked as an orchardist, both on his father's orchard and on near-by orchards. The Great Depression From about 1930 the family operated a dairy near the Orange Showground. Percy used to deliver milk door-to-door. Percy met Lorna Wiley who also lived in Orange and they married in 1936. Lorna and Percy lived in the house in Sale Street, Orange after their marriage. Bubba gave them the land and they had the house built. Percy may have assisted in the construction of the house. He gathered up the nails they dropped during the construction and did not need to buy any for years. Lorna and Percy had a still-born daughter in 1937. Lorna and Percy had a daughter, Sylvia, in 1939. When Sylvia was a baby they put her in the pram and picked plums on the block across the street. World War II He joined the Royal Australian Air Force on 13 Feb 1941 at Orange. His service number was 21863. Lorna and Percy had a daughter, Enid, in 1942. Percy served at the Richmond Airbase for most of his military service, maintaining aircraft. Near the end of the war, Percy had a new supervisor. He fell out with this man and they had an altercation. As punishment they were both moved from the base to other locations. In 1945 he was transferred to Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. This service is not mentioned on his official papers, obtained from the National Archives. Yet it is the reason he was able to apply for a Soldier Settler farm, and the family photo album has the photos taken in Bougainville. He was in Bougainville when the war ended on . On demobilisation, Percy was discharged from the military on 3 Jan 1946 in Australia. Number 21863, Leading Aircraftman. Trade Fitter 11E. Percy was described as Height 5' 4½", Fair hair, Blue eyes, Fair complexion. on 13 Feb 1946 in Australia. Post-war life When he left the air force, Percy moved back to Orange. He bought a utility. After the war he picked fruit for other people. He rode a pushbike to orchards at Nashdale. Percy purchased a farm at Borenore called "Roma". The family moved there in 1946, probably in June. He sold the ute and bought a Willies Knight. He and Noel Cantril grew pumpkins together at least once. His brother Alan had a tractor and would bring it out to do some plowing. They ate a lot of rabbits the first couple of years. At both "Roma" and later "Lightwood" he was involved with farmers and settlers and parents and citizens. Lorna and Percy had a daughter, Tricia, in 1947. He had sheep and still picked fruit for the neighbours in season, mainly for Charlie King. His neighbour, Noel Cantril grew wheat and Percy helped with the harvest. It was tied in sheaves and they built hay stacks. We don´t know if that was a joint venture or if he was labouring. Because of his short stint overseas, Percy was allowed to apply for various benefits. Percy and Lorna ticked the soldier Settler box, not thinking that anything would come of it. They unexpectedly won in this lottery, were offered a property and reluctantly took up the land. The farm was handed to him in 1949. He sold the Willies Knight before he went to Jingellic and bought a Vauxhall Velox. He later traded this for an Austin truck. They had a clearance sale and moved to Jingellic in Feb 1952. The truck in this image shows family friends Graham and Meryl Brewer on the rood. Percy's daughter, Patricia Ann Marks, is in the cab, and Ted Brewer is using the shovel. We presume that Percy took the photo. The load is river gravel for use building the dairy. Percy lived at "Lightwood", Jingellic, Selwyn County, New South Wales, Australia from 1952 to 1972. The property was a square mile block, subdivided from the original "Lightwood" property, and contained the original farm house. When they moved in, the farm was used as a dairy. However, Percy, an orchardist, did not like this occupation and over the years moved the property over to being a mixed beef-cattle and sheep farm. He also sowed a few paddocks of oats. The Lands Dept. decreed that the block was to be a dairy. The farm was 423 acres. The 3 farms which comprised the original ¨Lightwood¨had been owned by David Fairbairn MP, who employed a manager. When the Lands Dept. had acquired it, they subdivided it into 3 blocks (2 dairies and 1 sheep farm). Percy got the block with the house and kept the original name of the property. In much earlier times it was all part of Jingellic Station. In the first year they moved in, there was a great bush fire and all the land was burned. Percy and Lorna stayed to fight the fire. The children fled with a neighbour to the Jingellic township, though later they wished they had stayed. Their hay sheds were destroyed in the fire. The first year was spent doing fencing and repair work. Before he bought the truck he had a white draught horse called "Prince" who was used to help with the work. He bought a Ferguson tractor fairly early on as well. The first Christmas that the children were there he plucked some hair from Prince's tail and Mrs Fisher made a new beard for Santa. He grew a crop of oats and built the dairy with a Finemore Builder, which was a metal frame to hold the concrete till it set a bit. Then you released it and moved it along and filled it up again. He employed a couple of young men at different times to help with the work. He went to Bega to buy Jersey heifers for the herd and bought a Hereford bull from Holbrook called Annandale Liquidation. The first milking season was 1951/52...cut short by the fire on 25th Jan. He had about 70 cows. "We milked half of them and the other half reared 2 calves each. The calves were sold as vealers when they were about 11 months old. I think he sold the cows in 1954...before I left school. He bought sheep and probably kept the vealers from that year but I´m not sure about that. The sheep had a lot of foot rot in the first few years." He and Enid pulled down the old hut and used the material in building the wool shed. It is thought that the wood lining from the hut was used to build the places where the wool was stacked until it was bailed. He probably had a tradesman to help build the shed. Retirement In 1972, after having spent the best part of a year travelling around Australia and having sold the Lightwood Property to son-in-law Phillip Potter, Percy and Lorna retired and settled down to live at 19A Maltman Street, Caloundra, Queensland. In the late 1970's Percy had Bowel Cancer, which was removed in an operation. He died in Caloundra Hospital, Caloundra, Queensland, Australia of a stroke. His funeral was arranged at Gregson and Weight Undertakers, Caloundra, Queensland, Australia. His ashes are buried in Caloundra. Descendants See /descendants/ tab above Related entries External links *Percy Stanley Marks on Brian's free pages at "RootsWeb" *GenCircles page on Brian's file *GenCircles page on AP's file Sources # Various family members. Sylvia Yap and Daisy Wythes. # NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/), Birth - 5092/1936. # Jan balgowan, balgowan family file. # Everyone, Other Researchers, Lee Ann. # Lorna Spackman Boorowa 2586, Cowra Uniting Church Index to Baptism and Marriage Registers 1888-1993, Funeral - Burial Information 1874-1993 Incorporates wesleyan, methodist and Uniting church records for Cowra, Woodstock, Nyrang Creek & Koorawatha (Printed by Keith Rudkin Copying Centre, 235 Darby Street, Newcastle, +61 4 9263 350), page 42. # (http://www.aa.gov.au/the_collection/family_history.html). MARKS PERCY STANLEY : Service Number - 21863 : Date of birth - 06 Sep 1911 : Place of birth - COWRA NSW : Place of enlistment - SYDNEY : Next of Kin - MARKS LORNA Item barcode 4584267 Series number A9301 Series accession number 2002/04846331 Control symbol 21863 Contents date range 1939 - 1948 Extent Location Canberra Access status Not yet examined Reason for restriction Date of decision 1 Jan 1970. #Queensland Government Death Certificate - 88/52801 References Image:Percy_Stanley_Marks_(1911_-_1988)_Birth_Certificate.jpg|Birth Certificate Image:Percy_Stanley_Marks_and_Lorna_Wiley_Marriage_Certificate.jpg|Marriage Certificate Image:Percy_Stanley_Marks_(1911-1988)_RAAF_Certificate.jpg|RAAF Certificate Image:Percy_Stanley_Marks_(1911_-_1988)_RAAF_Certificate_of_Service_and_Discharge.png|RAAF Certificate of Service and Discharge Image:Percy_Stanley_Marks_(1911-_1988)_Death_Certificate.jpg|Death Certificate Category:born in Bathurst County, New South Wales Category:married in Orange, New South Wales Category:married in Wellington County, New South Wales Category:resided in Selwyn County, New South Wales Category:died in Caloundra